Kunming & Dali: Fri & Sat

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Friday: Kunming

Breakfast was in the non-revolving revolving dining room on the 23rd floor of the hotel!! Then it was off to the 'Stone Forest' ( see photographs) - although this was busy I think we were the only westerners (apart from a couple of back-packers). We are now in the remoter SW part of China, off the normal 'Western Tourist' route. This area is a lot more like I'd imagined China to be - mind you, everyone under 30 strolls around clutching an iPhone!!

For dinner we ate 'Across The Bridges Noodles' - a recipe developed by local women so that the food did not go cold when it was taken to their husband (across a bridge!!) at lunchtime. After dinner Kate and I strolled around the local streets - these came alive with street food stalls that spilled into the road. This was finished off with a chocolate coffee and an ice-cold beer , in the hotel lounge.

Saturday: Dali

A diabolically early start saw us on a 4hr 30mins coach trip to Dali. Was it worth it - oh, yes. The people are mostly buddists, the streets are cute (even hippy-chic) and we all agreed that this is what we thought China would be like!! In the afternoon we visited the Three Pagodas Temple, from the Song and Tang Dynasties - so immense we resorted to golf buggies. Our visit was timed to perfection - the thunder/rain arrived as we left. Then onto the quirky Old Town, where we had a delicious meal - followed by a much needed beer in the hotel lobby

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